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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · straw · tube · row · cap · toast · object · mine

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. object — an aim
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a line
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. toast — bread
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — to paddle
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. tube — a container
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com